Sound-reproducing machine.



W. D. LA RUE.

SOUND REPRODUCING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2|. 1916.

1 ,29 1 ,562 Patented J an. 14, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- INVENTOR ifiZ/Zam [a Fae.

WITNESS. BY

ATTORNEYJ W. D. LA RUE.

SOUND REPRODUCING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.21. me.

1 ,%9 1,55% 0 Patcnted J an. 14, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

BY M

ATTORNEY s'rarns PATENT orator.-

WILLIAM DANA LA RUE, ()1? CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORTO VICTOR TALKING MACHINE COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SOUND-REPRODUCING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 21, 1916. Serial No. 92,647.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. LA RUE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, county of Camden, State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sound-Reproducing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

class referred to, whichcomprise a hinged motor-supporting board Within 2. containing cabinet or casing, and has for its objects to provide such a construction whereby the motor board, although hinged, may be readily removable, with the motor thereon, from the containing cabinet, and whereby the motorsupporting board may be securely locked within the cabinet, in operative position therein, and with the winding shaft of the motor always in alinement with the key aperture in the cabinet and with the winding key when inserted therein.

The difiiculties to be overcome in attaining these objects, and the utility of my-invention for the purpose will be apparent when the following circumstances are considered; the motor is suspended through and Wholly on the under face of the motor board, which in turn is inclosed within the containing cabinet of the machine; the necessity for swinging the motor-supporting board on its hinges to position the motorfor repair, oiling, etc., and sometimes of removing it; the necessity for alining the stub shaft of the motor spring with the key aperture in the side wall of the cabinet, and the obvious necessity for securely locking the motor board to procure such alinement when the parts are in operative position, and for unlocking it with equal facility. Failure of commonly employed means to meet these conditions results, among other effects, in defacing the cabinet in the region of the key aperture; in failure to make properly operative connection of the detached key with the spring actuating shaft of the motor, and particularly in undue wear of the shaft bearings and breakage of adjunctive parts.

My invention overcomes these obiectionable features, and consists of the e ements constructed and combined, as hereinafter stated, so that the movable motor board element thereof, may be swung on its hinges into operative position with certainty and be securely locked in such position, with the My invention relates to machines of the ultimate result of securing positive alinement of winding key, through the key aperture in the cabinet wall, with the spring actuating or winding shaft of the motor.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of my motor-supporting board, mounted in operative position within the inclosing cabinet of a talking machine, and showing the hinged supports and the locking mechanism; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same showing, in side elevation, the motor dependingly sup orted thereon; and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to said drawings, the cabinet, indicated at 3, is either an inclosing cabinet or one where the motor board is at the very top and forms a part thereof; 4 is "the motor board upon the under face of hinge 6, 7 upon which the motor board may swing when released from restraint of the lock, the hinge is termed an open hinge to indicate that the parts are moved out of contact by simply lifting the motor board.

At the rear of the motor board are the two parts 10 and 11 which operate as alining members when the motor board is almost in its horizontal position; the part 11 is attached to the motor board, and has a projection 11 which moves into a slot 20 between and forming the guiding parts 21, 21 of the portion 10; the fit on the'contacting parts being such. as to prevent relative sidewise movement.

The hinges 6, 7 are positioned and in close contact, part with part, except when the motor board is removed from the cabinet, the result being that these hinges in alinement with each other, control, with the plates 8, 9, 10 and 11, hereinafter described, to retain the motor board in a horizontal plane.

At the front of the motor board is the lock proper made in two parts and consistin respectively of plates 8 and 9, each of W ich is provided with means, such as screws, for attachment to the motor board 4 and the adjacent portion of the cabinet 3. Plate 8 proects over the edge of the cabinet 3 so as to receive the stud 15 on the lever 22 when the motor board is in horizontal position. A notch 19 is made in plate 8 proportioned asto anglesto the plate width so that the projecting portion 16 of plate 9 shall enter the slot and bear evenly on each side of the slot, the parts being positioned so that plates 8 and 9 shall aline exactly with plates 10 and 11 at rear. end of the flanged portion 16 is bent at right 9, and shaped with a blunt tapering end 17 to neatly enter the slot 19 and be guided by the edges thereof to aline the motor board at the front edge.

The locking of these plates is efi'ected by a lever 22, pivoted upon the bent up portion 12 of the plate 9, with a stud 15 rlgidly positioned thereon. Lever 22 is proportioned so that it projects through the motor board through slot 18 into a convenient position to be moved by the operator of the talking machine. The distance fromthe axis of the pivot 13 of lever 22 to the outermost element of the stud 15 is slightly greater than the distance from axis of the'p' ivot 13- to the under side of plate 8. While the difi'erence is not a large one it is sufficient to cause the motor board to be firmly held when lever 22 is thrown to cause stud 15 to contact with the under surface of plate 8. A continuation of the movement ing position carries the lever 15 into a more inclined position when the lever is safe from accidental movement to reverse direction. In this position of the lever 22, the motorboard is said to be locked. By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the slot 18 and also lever 22 are under'and are covered by the turntable 5. The lock is of course operated only when the turntable is removed.

It is plain that a determinate movement of the lever in reverse direction unlocks the motor board and permits it to be swung on its hinges and even to be removed if desired. In order to permit the stud 15 to clear the plate 8, the latter is notched out to clear the stud 15, the same result would be obtained in positioning plate 9 so that stud 15 would clear the corner of the plate.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new:

1. In a sound reproducing machine comprising a motor supporting board and a containing members upon opposite sides of said motor board and intermediate the ends of said sides, coasting with cooperating ,mem'bers adjacent thereto, forming a pivot for and supporting the motorboard, an alining member extendin from another side and cooperating with a receiving slot in a plate upon The of lever 22 to lockcabinet, the combination of pivotal' the cabinet, said alining member and said means serving to rigidly hold the motorboard in the plane of the adjacent cabinet.

2. In a sound reproducing machine comprising. a motor board and a containing cabinet, separable hinge devices upon two opposite sides of said motor board forming a pivot for and permitting ready removal of the motor board, transversely disposed means on opposite sides of the motor board one thereof comprising a two part m ember adapted to be brought into horizontal alinement and tending to always force the ad joining parts into the same alinement, and the other element of said means comprising a pair of interlocking plates, one of which is slotted and the other of which is provided with a flanged portion entering said slot, and locking means comprising a lever mounted on one of said plates and projecting through an aperture in the motor board.

3. In a sound reproducing machine comprising a motor board with an aperture" therethrough and a containing cabinet, two oppositely disposed hinge members between said motor board and adjoining parts, and coacting means on the other two sides of the said motor board and upon adjoining parts, each of said means operating to bring the motor board into a fixed horizontal position relatively to the adjoining parts of the cabinet, one cf said means operating to lock said motor board from vertical movement and including a plate with a slot having straight sides and a second plate with a projection having tapered and straight sides and a pivoted lever upon the second plate with a projection thereon which closely contacts with 

